The Art of Persuasion
by muishiki
Summary: Complete Naruto, Jiraiya, and Tsunade decide to leave Konoha after politics become too much for them. But first, Naruto wants to go out with a bang.


(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

"Look Naruto, I'm just as disgusted with the council's decision as you are." Tsunade, the fifth Hokage of the hidden village of the Leaf, Konoha, leaned her elbows on her desk and sat forward. Her prodigious chest very nearly touched the desk as well. She took in a deep breath and continued. "I'm only one person. Even though my vote counts for a lot and I had Jiraiya's backing, we still didn't have the necessary support to have you elected. I'm sorry."

Naruto was only half-way concentrating on her words. All he heard was "I'm sorry." He'd been hearing excuses all his life, and now he was sick of it. Yesterday had been his twenty-first birthday, and only more excuses. I'm sorry, Naruto. The council didn't want you as Hokage. I'm sorry, Naruto. The villagers are scared of you. I'm sorry, Naruto. They thought Shikamaru would be a better choice than you. I'm sorry, Naruto. The village elders want you to die for that thing you carry inside of you. I'm sorry, Naruto. No matter how many times you save their sorry asses you'll never be good enough.

Twenty-one years hardship and pain for a bunch of old pricks too stuck in their ways to acknowledge how much he'd done for the village. He had bled for Konoha. He had killed for Konoha. He would die for Konoha. All he wanted was to be recognized. Unfortunately, the old guard only wished for the third option.

He finally stopped brooding and stared into Tsunade's eyes. "This is bullshit, Granny, and you know it."

She nodded. "I know."

Jiraiya cut in. "We did get a compromise, though. Would you care to hear it?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and nodded.

Jiraiya took of his forehead protector and polished it. "The council agreed that you would be formally nominated as my successor and a Sannin. You would be given free pass to leave Konoha to wander the shinobi world, without having to worry about Hunter-nins tracking you down and dragging you back for abandoning your village."

Naruto snorted.

Jiraiya shrugged. "It was the best we could do."

"Who else got that 'honor'?"

Tsunade grimaced. "Sakura got nominated as my successor, but as a medic, she's got to stay here."

"No replacement for that snake bastard?"

"Not yet." Jiraiya spat. "Let him rest in pieces, just like you left him."

"Did anyone support my nomination?"

Both of the Sannin's grimaced.

"So no one from the council supported me?" Naruto asked.

"Nara, Akamichi, and Aburame abstained from voting." Jiraiya was solemn.

"Well, at least that's something. The rest of those bastards are just old men too wrapped up in the past to bother..."

Tsunade cut him off. "Fuck 'em, Naruto. Fuck 'em right in the ear." She looked around her office and waved her hand dismissively. "I'm sick of this village. I'm sick of the petty infighting. I'm sick of all the back stabbing. We have all tried to do our best, and the little fucks repay us like this?" She slammed her hand on the desk.

Unfortunately, the desk wasn't meant to withstand her anger and split, collapsing to the floor and spilling the accumulated paperwork everywhere. "GOD DAMN IT!" She stood up in fury. "I QUIT!" She grabbed her jacket. "If they want Shikamaru to be the next Hokage, then he can fucking start tomorrow." She put on her jacket violently and scribbled out a hasty note explaining her actions. She put it on the chair and stood tall. "Naruto, when you leave, I'm leaving with you."

Jiraiya nodded. "Me too. You're the only reason I've stayed, anyway."

Naruto finally smiled. "So, Baa-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"Fuck 'em, right?"

She grinned. "Yeah. Just don't tell me what you plan to do, because I want to be completely innocent when they come looking for me."

Jiraiya grinned as well. "And for once, so do I." He winked. "But, promise me you'll take notes about anything I might be able to use in the next volume, okay?"

Naruto rubbed his chin. "Fine. Can you both be ready to leave tomorrow, early? Say, sunrise, East gate?"

They both nodded.

"Good. I've got some work to do. See you tomorrow." The trio stood to leave. Naruto paused. "Baa-chan, Ero-sennin?"

The both whirled on him and yelled simultaneously, "DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

He smirked. They smiled back at him. "Just in case, be ready to leave in a hurry, okay?"

Jiraiya gave him the thumbs up. Tsunade reached up and tousled his hair. He was much taller than her now, almost a spitting image of the fourth Hokage. "You got it, kiddo."

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

Naruto checked the contents of his back pack one last time. His apartment was never very full of belongings, but this time it felt particularly empty. He knew he was never coming back here. Only way he was coming back to this village is if they wanted him to be Hokage, and even then it was an iffy prospect.

He sank down on his bed to think, fiddling with the necklace that Tsunade had given him. He frowned. The necklace… He allowed himself to relax a bit.

Okay, so maybe this wasn't the biggest set back in the world, but still it stung his pride. Now that he had a chance to think, he could actually see how this might even be for the best. He'd be Hokage someday. Just not yet. That was fine; he could wait. He'd get stronger, make more friends, and come back prepared to be the best Hokage Konoha had ever seen.

But he still had his pride. Nobody slighted Uzamaki Naruto and came away unscathed. He hadn't known how to stand up for himself when he was younger, but no longer. He'd been through too much, fought too many battles, and defeated too many unbeatable enemies. He was proud of his skills, because unlike some of the clans gifted with powerful blood line abilities, he had to work for his every single day.

Before he left, he needed to do something big. Something that would not only ensure he would be remembered, but loved and feared by the right people. He had some bridges he wanted to burn, but he needed to make sure they were the right bridges. He posed the question to himself: what did he need to accomplish?

He struggled with this thought for a while, turning it over in his mind until he could distill it into its barest essence. It took him a while, but when he finally arrived at the answer it was if the clarion bell had sounded. It was so obvious that it was all too easy to miss. He needed to minimize the influence of the decision makers of today and earn unwavering support of the decision makers of tomorrow.

They were separate actions, but not necessarily mutually exclusive. Now that he had what he needed to do, what was the best avenue of attack? Naruto was smart enough to figure out that behind every great man was an even greater woman. Men might forget but never forgive; women, on the other, hand, tended to forgive but never forget. He'd rather have the support of the women of the village if it came down to it.

He pulled out a piece of paper and began listing the people on the council. From there, he made a list of all the immediate relatives and contacts of those people and quickly ran out of paper. He grabbed some more and continued to list out all the relevant players until he could map six degrees for each council member. To speed up the process, he created a cluster of shadow clones, two for each council member, to brain storm and map out his plan of attack. When he was done, he pinned a network chart on his wall for each council member. This exercise took him nearly an hour, even with the help of all his clones.

He looked carefully over each council member's list, looking for the person with the most direct contact to the person who had the most to gain from taking that position. From there, he also looked for the person in that list that was his staunchest supporter or friend. It often worked out that his friends were third and second degree contacts for each council member. That made it easier for him. He circled each name and made some notes, thinking about how he could gain the most benefit from the least amount of work.

He created a large group of clones, filling his apartment up with bodies. "Alright, guys. These are your targets. Monitor them, find out as much as you can. No holds barred – I need anything you can get me. Report back by sundown." The assembled clones nodded, checked their targets, and left.

Maybe all that shogi playing with Shikamaru wasn't as useless as he thought. Sure, he might not be a genius like his friend, but he wasn't a slouch, either.

He focused his thoughts inward and plodded through the corridors of his mind. The sewer system was a little less dank that the first time he came here, but it was still dark. Soon enough he was face to face with the Kyuubi's cage.

"Yo, Furball. We need to talk."

"**What do you want, insect." **Red eyes glared at him from behind the bars.

"I need some help."

The fox was silent. Naruto talked. He paced back and forth in front of the cage, explaining the situation and pointing out what he needed to accomplish. He listed out his avenue of attack. Eventually he said his piece and waited.

The nine-tailed demon-fox sealed within his body idly flicked his many tails back and forth in his cage.

"**Your ideas aren't completely worthless." **The Kyuubi drawled lazily, trying not to act interested.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Naruto stopped pacing.

"**I don't see why you come to me with these petty human concerns."**

"I might… No, I will need your help." Naruto took a deep breath. "I'm going to need your stamina tonight, and perhaps a little help in a few situations."

"**You'd willingly accept it knowing the risk?"**

"The rewards might be worth the risk. Will you help?"

The Kyuubi retreated deeper within his cage. **"Perhaps. Seek me again when you require assistance."**

Naruto grinned. "Thanks, Kyuubi!"

The fox grunted and curled up to sleep.

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

At sundown the clones Naruto sent out earlier all self-destructed, sending their awareness and the information they gathered back to Naruto's consciousness. It was too much to remember at once, but he had enough background on each person to make his first move.

He stood. He checked his list. He wasn't quite as happy about this as he might have been on a normal day, but since she was closest…

"Alright Anko, here I come."

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

Mitarashi Anko answered the knock on her door wearing a simple, but short and sheer blue silk robe loosely tied at the waist with a thin red ribbon. It stopped at mid-thigh and showed off her nicely toned legs. A generous hint of cleavage was visible as it was loose and barely covered her breasts. Naruto gulped as he realized she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

She seemed surprised to see him. "Oh. It's you. What do you want?"

"Can I come in?" He handed her a package of dango.

She took the offered treat greedily, but seemed to hesitate for a second. "Will this take long?"

"Depends. Do you have plans?"

She pursed her lips, looking him up and down. "No, not really. I was thinking maybe of going out in a bit, but…" She smirked. "Do you have something in mind?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head shyly. Damnit! Even though he knew what why he was coming here, it didn't make it any less embarrassing. He shrugged. "Can we talk inside?"

She moved aside for him to come in. He kicked off his shoes at the entrance and walked down a narrow hall to her apartment proper. It wasn't large. In fact, it was only slightly larger than his ratty old place, but it did have the distinct advantage of having the entire south wall of the apartment made of glass. The view was nice – her balcony overlooked the abandoned Uchiha sector of the village, which had been allowed to grow wild, giving the appearance of a looking out over the forest. There was a small kitchen off the hall way that opened up to the living room. Over all, it was clean, cozy, and unassuming.

"Nice place." He looked around. It seemed normal enough. He didn't see any of the signs of kinks the other ANBU professed she loved and had tacked all over her walls. "Not quite what I was expecting."

"Tea?" She handed him a warm mug.

"Thank you."

"What where you expecting?" She took a sip of her own beverage. She had opened the dango and put them on a plate, offering one to him. He declined. She took one for her self and ate it slowly, taking sensual pleasure in slowly stripping each ball of red-bean paste filled mochi with her lips.

Naruto gulped as he watched. "Well, from the rumors…"

She finished chewing and laughed softly into her tea. "What, you were expecting a dungeon?"

He blushed lightly. "Yeah."

"Silly." She giggled into her tea. "That's downstairs."

"Can you show me?"

She laughed again. Then she looked at him. "What, you're serious?"

He nodded.

She regarded him coolly, dango forgotten. "Why should I?" She traced her index finger over his jaw line, using her finger nail to scratch him just hard enough to leave a mark but not draw blood. She watched in fascination as the mark healed before her eyes. "Oh. Nice trick. That could be fun."

"You offered to show me once a while back. It just took me time to come around."

She stepped back. "You still haven't answered my question."

Naruto faced her. "I'm gonna give it to you straight."

"Don't count your chickens, Naruto." She leered.

"What?" He blushed when he realized what he said. "What I mean is that you're the only woman in this entire village that doesn't look at me like I'm some tainted refuse. You treat me like I am. A man. Maybe not the brightest one around, but it means a lot to me that you see me for me, not for that bastard fox sealed in my stomach."

She smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "Big, dumb, and honest. Not a good quality for a ninja."

"Yeah, well, neither is virginity."

She snorted some tea out her nose. "GAHHH. That fucking hurts." She went to the kitchen and got a towel, wiping her face. "You serious?"

He nodded, blushing. "Yeah. Even the 'professionals' refuse to come near me." He rubbed the back of his head. "I blame Jiraiya's for that, though."

"Dumb, honest, and ballsy." She came back to the living room. "What makes you think I should help you?" She ran an appreciative eye over his body. "I'm the head of the ANBU. I don't particularly need any lovers at the moment. You're handsome enough, but that alone doesn't cut it. Plus, virginity is such a hassle. I don't have the patience to deal with you cumming at the first sight of nipple."

Naruto licked his lips. Time to play his gambit. He held up two fingers. "Two things."

She nodded her head, indicating that he should go on.

"First." He unzipped his pants and exposed himself. Her eyes traveled down, down, down. She shook her head looked back up at him with a smirk, impressed in spite of her self.

"Do you know how to use it?" She looked down again, taking in the sight. "A big dick is not necessarily a good fuck."

He shrugged. "I figured you might be able to teach me the difference."

"Second." He moved to pull his pants back up. She raised a foot and tugged his pants out of his hands with her toes, allowing them to pool around his ankles.

"No need on my account." She shook her head, gazing at his length. "Why have you been keeping that," she pointed to his crotch, "all to yourself?"

"No one else would come near it." He replied bitterly.

"What about dear sweet Hinata?" She stepped forward, gently running her hands up and down the outside of his thighs. Anko looked down in satisfaction as she watched him rapidly reach tumescence.

He sighed. If he had any regrets about what he was about to do, it was about Hinata. They had grown closer over the years. He knew she liked him, and he could say that he felt the same way. "Her father doesn't like me. She won't risk his losing the little respect she's gotten from him to be with me."

"Ah." Anko stepped back and untied the chord around her waist. "Well, you're certainly… ballsy enough to be a Hokage." The robe fell open, revealing her flat stomach. The robe hung tantalizingly between her breasts, showing their shape but not her nipples. He could see those poking through the thin silk of the robe, however. What was more, the open robe revealed that she was in fact panty-less.

"So" she purred, enjoying watching his reaction. "What was the second thing?"

Naruto cleared his throat and pulled his gaze off her neatly trimmed strip of pubic hair. So her hair color was natural! "Ah.. Uh.." He swallowed. "Stamina. Demonic… Stamina."

"Demonic, you say?" She stepped closer to him, pressing her body against his, trapping his member between her stomach and his. She slowly ground her body against his, licking her lips.

He nodded and gulped.

She reached around and grabbed him by the ass. "Would you like to come downstairs for a bit?"

Naruto gulped and nodded.

She smiled. "I lied earlier."

"About what?"

"About virgins."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She stood on her toes to whisper throatily in his ear, "Virgins." She licked his ear lobe. "I love fucking 'em."

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

Naruto checked his watch as he exited her apartment. Two and a half hours had passed. Anko had been as good as her word, and so had he. Naruto wished briefly that his first time hadn't been with a conquest hungry vixen like Anko, but man… He smiled. What an experience. He had some idea what to expect, but… Kakashi and Jiraiya would burst a blood vessel if they heard about her… proclivities. Hell… he might even go back. He might not be experienced, but he knew without a doubt that he'd probably be hard pressed to find a more… skilled partner.

Thank god for the Kyuubi's healing factor.

By giving her this little… conquest, he was pretty confident that he could count on her support in the future. As the new ANBU head, she wielded almost as much influence as anyone in the village. Plus, if he absolutely had to, he could manipulate her in some ways now. But that was a double-edged sword, so he'd need to be careful. That meant he had direct access to at least a quarter of the current council members, maybe more. In addition, she'd probably be on the council when those people retired, and she'd be a sympathetic ear.

He consulted his list. Looking at his next target, he decided he needed some Ramen first. He might have ungodly stamina, but he needed food to fuel that.

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

Ichiraku's. Certainly always Naruto's first pleasure. Newly matured, Naruto could appreciate the old joke about how Ramen was better than a sex. Ramen never talked back. It never got jealous. Hell Naruto routinely made it a practice to have as many different bowls as possible. It always tasted good, even when it was bad. No washing prior to consumption. No whining, no unfaithfulness. Ramen was yours and yours alone. At longest, you only had to wait three minutes for your ramen to be ready.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts as Ayame put his first bowl in front of him. He stared at the noodles, suddenly reminded about the… GAHHH! Maybe Anko had been a bad idea, after all. While Ayame was no Tsunade in terms of endowments, she was softer and… curvier than the kunoichi he knew. She had an innocent girl-next-door aura that was appealing. He certainly couldn't imagine Ayame or Hinata doing some of the things Anko had done. That thing when she… and then… He blushed, forcing the images out of his head.

"You alright?" Ayame looked at him in concern.

"Yeah. Just a lot on my mind." He looked up at her. "Why?"

"You haven't started yet."

He grinned sheepishly. He broke his chopsticks apart and dug in.

"Where'd the old man go?" Naruto looked up in confusion between bites.

"He just got a phone call and had to step-out. He'll be back shortly."

"Another delivery for the council guys?" Naruto asked around a mouthful of noodles.

"Yeah. I mean, we're grateful for the business, but half the time they end up keeping him too long so they can ask for his opinions." She shrugged. Naruto paid attention to the lovely things that did to her bosom. "Who would have thought – a ramen shop giving advice to the entire ruling council?"

Bingo. Naruto needed the merchants on his side to be Hokage. Old man Teiuchi might not be the most influential merchant in the village right now, but he did sit on the merchants' council. More importantly, Ayame was being groomed to take over his role.

Naruto snorted and drained his first bowl, starting quickly on his second. Mm… Pork. Lovely. "Go figure." He quickly polished off that bowl as Ayame watched. "So, who's cooking now?"

"No one. My dad doesn't trust the Nishi or Matsu to cook. I'm closing up after you finish."

Naruto hid his grin with another bowl of noodles. "Ne, Ayame."

"Yeah?"

"Want to go for a walk with me? I've got something really cool I want to show you." He flashed an impish grin, letting genuine mirth sparkle in his eyes.

She blushed lightly. "I'd… Like that, Naruto. What do you want to show me?" She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter while nervously adjusting the white handkerchief she used to hold her hair out of the way. He never thought he'd be thankful to Anko for anything, but her lesson on body language was already paying dividends. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as he thought.

"It's a secret." He placed his finished bowl on the counter between her elbows and stood suddenly, bring his face closer to hers. "I promise you'll like it, though." He looked in her eyes mischievously, winking as she started to blush.

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

Naruto waited on the street as Ayame finished closing the shop. When she came out, she had changed out of her work uniform of a simple white kimono to a snug fitting pair of pants and long sleeve shirt with a v-neck.

"Wow." Naruto blinked a couple times and shook his head. "You look great."

She did a little twirl. "You like?"

"Yeah, I do." He started walking towards the Hokage monument. "Where'd you get it?"

She fell in step beside him. "This little boutique by the west gate. They don't have a great selection, but what they do have is pretty nice." The two chatted about shopping and Konoha. Naruto listened intently, trying to track exactly how many merchants Ayame knew personally or was at least on favorable terms with. It was impressive how well she networked.

When they arrived at the bottom of the monument, Naruto stopped. She looked up at him quizzically. "So, where _are_ we going, anyway?"

He pointed up. "Up there."

Her eyes opened wide. "No way!"

He nodded. "You have two choices. You can go up the easy way, or the fun way."

"Which one takes longer?"

"The easy way." He pointed to a small ravine hidden behind some bushes. "We hike. It will probably take about thirty minutes, but you can't beat the view from up there."

"What about the fun way?"

He waggled a finger at her. "I'm not going to tell you what that is. If you go the fun way, then you have to trust me."

Naruto could easily read the indecision that played across her face. "Don't worry. I promise that you won't get hurt, and I never break my promises."

That seemed to convince her. "Okay, the fun way. So, what do we do?"

Naruto scooped her up in his arms, carrying her bridal style as she shrieked from the unexpected motion. "All you have to do is hold on tight!" With that, he ran towards the rock cliff and leapt up.

Ayame screamed the whole way up as Naruto ran up the cliff face, using his chakra to anchor his feet to the rock and Ayame to his body. Naruto concentrated, running as quickly as he could. While this wasn't exactly hard for him, a screw up would be very, very bad.

A matter of minutes Naruto crested the top of the monument and ran a good distance from the edge, finding his favorite spot just between the Fourth and Fifth Hokages. It was flat, grassy, and surrounded by thick foliage on three sides. The only side open was the one that looked over the village. From between the trees, it looked as if the ground just ended, giving a spectacular view of the village at night.

Ayame had stopped screaming. She trembled slightly, eye wide. In retrospect, Naruto figured it must have been pretty scary. She had been looking down at the ground the whole time, and she had no idea what ninja were capable of.

Naruto released his grip on her, slowly lowering her legs to the ground. "So," he asked playfully, "was that fun?"

She gulped noisily. "You call that fun?"

"Didn't you enjoy it?"

Ayame was about to protest that no, she did not, but the words died on her lips. Strangely enough, she _had _enjoyed it. It was the best thrill she'd ever gotten. She nodded, a slight smile on her lips. Her thoughts calmed down enough for her to finally take in the view.

"Oh, Naruto. It's simply lovely up here!" She stood, drinking in the tableau of the sparkling lights below and the stars above. It was a cloudless night, clear, warm and bright from the light of the three-quarters moon.

Behind her, Naruto pulled out a handkerchief. Channeling a brief burst of chakra into it, he changed it into a wide mat that he unrolled on the grass behind him. He kicked off his shoes and sat down, carefully observing Ayame as she looked at the city. When she finally had enough of the view, she turned to look at him, only slightly surprised to find him resting comfortably on the mat.

She walked over and took off her own shoes, sitting down next to him, facing out to look over the village. "This is a nice surprise, Naruto. Thank you."

He shook his head. "I should thank you. You and your old man, anyway. I never told you both how much I appreciate everything you've done for me."

"We haven't done much. Besides, you're our best customer."

"You've done more than you realized." Naruto's voice was serious.

She looked over at him. "What do you mean?"

He sighed. "You know not everybody in the village likes me, right?"

She nodded. Naruto noticed a slight tightening of the skin around her eyes. Good. She was disgusted by the behavior of the villagers.

"Do you know why?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't."

"How old were you when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha?"

"Oh, hmm…" She thought for a moment. "I was only about four or five, I think." She grew distant. "I lost my mother in that attack."

"I'm sorry." Naruto hesitantly touched her right shoulder. She reached up with her left hand and gently squeezed the back of his hand.

"Don't apologize. It isn't your fault that the Kyuubi decided to attack the village."

Naruto snorted. "The rest of the villagers don't seem to think so."

She looked at him askance. "How's that?"

"Do you know what happened to the Kyuubi?"

Ayame smiled. "Sure. The Fouth Hokage sacrificed his life and killed the demon."

"Wrong." Naruto stared at her intensely. "The Fourth wasn't strong enough to kill the Kyuubi simply by sacrificing his life. He sacrificed his life to _seal_ the demon."

"Seal the…" she trailed off. "What does that mean?"

He bit his thumb, drawing blood. He made the seals for a summoning technique, muttered, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu," and brought forth a small toad on his palm.

Ayame giggled. "Wow. Magic tricks, too?"

Nartuto shot her a grin. "Sort of." He lifted the toad into the air. "This toad isn't really here, you know. It belongs in a different realm. In a few seconds, it will vanish and go back to where it belongs." Soon enough the toad vanished in a puff of smoke. "The only reason that toad was able to come here was because I called it and made a small sacrifice of my own energy to bring it here. You with me so far?"

Ayame nodded.

"Now, some creatures are powerful enough in their own right to cross the boundaries between the worlds."

"The Kyuubi?" she asked.

Naruto nodded. "Right. Demons and other creatures of that ilk can sometimes cross over into our realm. The Kyuubi just happened to be the strongest demon in existence. You can't kill something like that because it's immortal. But you can trap it in a seal."

"What's a seal?"

"Physically, it can be anything. It acts like a prison. It's complex and there are lots of rules, but basically, because it is constructed out of chakra, it has to be tied to a living object. I couldn't seal that toad into a rock, but I could seal it into a tree. So, as long as the tree was alive or the seal not broken, the toad would remain trapped in the tree."

"So that's what the Fourth Hokage did? Trapped the Kyuubi in a seal?" She seemed confused.

Naruto nodded.

Ayame seemed to ponder the information for a bit. "So… could it get out again?"

"Yes," Naruto held up his finger, "but, the only way the Kyuubi could get out is if it was intentionally released from the seal."

"So some one could…" Ayame started.

Naruto cut her off. "There is no way the Kyuubi would be released intentionally."

"How do you know? If it's just sitting somewhere in a seal…" Ayame looked frightened.

"It's sealed inside of me." Naruto pointed to his stomach.

"Oh." Then what he said hit her. "OH!" She jumped up and pointed at him. "OH!"

"Sheesh." Naruto rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you didn't know. Didn't your old man tell you?"

She shook her head. "He never did. He just told me it wasn't important." She came back, sitting back down on the blanket, looking over at him. She took in the whisker marks on his face, the slight cat eye appearance of his blue eyes, and the oh so slight point to his ears. "But now that you point it out, I'm smacking myself for not putting two and two together."

Naruto chuckled slightly. "Don't worry about it. But I do mean it – your dad and you were the only ones who didn't chase me out of your restaurant when I was little. Most of the merchants still don't like me."

"Why?"

"Because they think I'm the Kyuubi and that I'm going to go crazy and kill them at any second."

Ayame's lips curled in disgust. "That's stupid. Anyone who knows you knows that you aren't some blood thirsty demon."

Naruto shrugged. "Some people can't change their minds."

The pair fell silent for a bit. Well, Naruto was silent anyway. He was trying to think how to go forward from here, but Ayame was grumbling about "stupid geezers" and "old hags" and some rather descriptive ideas of how to set them straight about Naruto.

Eventually, Ayame's rant ended but the silence lingered awkwardly. In his mind, it seemed rather straight forward. Take Ayame to some isolated place, show her a thrill, tell her his secret, and seduce the ramen giver. It had worked for Anko. Now he realized his mistake – Anko was a shinobi, and shinobi died every day. They couldn't afford to beat around the bush when it came to enjoying life. All shinobi had some sort of neurosis – it was part of the job description. And as such, they tended to be much more open and straight forward about sex than the rest of the populace because life tended to be much shorter than your average villagers.

In short, Naruto had absolutely no idea what to do next. Thankfully, Ayame stepped in.

"So, what does the seal look like?" Ayame asked.

"Eh?"

"What," she repeated slowly, "does the seal look like?"

"Oh. Umm..." Naruto thought furiously. "It's on my stomach. I can show you."

She grinned. "Okay!"

Naruto stood and pulled up his shirt. Flexing his stomach muscles, he showed her his stomach.

"Umm… Nice stomach." She blushed. "So, where's the seal?" She stood and came over to where he was, peering intensely at his rippled muscles.

"Oh, hehe…" Naruto briefly concentrated, pulling a little demonic chakra through the seal, causing it to glow brightly. The red light cast from the seal bathed the small clearing and Ayame is sensual manner.

Ayame reached over and traced her fingertips lightly around the seal. She was breathing deeply, watching with fascination as the seal seemed to move and writhe under her touch. "Why does it do that?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. I think it's because the seal is a living thing."

"So the Kyuubi's inside of that?"

"No. The Kyuubi's inside of me. The seal is just the gate that holds it in."

Ayame gently traced the circle of seal with her hands. She stopped looking at the seal when she noticed a twitch from Naruto's pants. She looked up, watching Naruto's face as she continued to lightly run her fingertips in a circle around his stomach.

The glow slowly faded and the seal became invisible, but Ayame didn't stop moving her hand. Rather, she stepped closer and brought her other hand to his abdomen, gently tracing her fingers up and down over his muscles.

She looked up at his eyes. "So, did you bring me up here for any other reason?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly.

She smirked. "I thought so." She didn't stop her ministrations. "I was wondering how long it would take you to notice."

"I've always noticed you." Naruto cleared his throat as her hands began tracing a path back and forth between his waistband and his pectorals.

"Yeah, but you never acted on it. I couldn't have been much more obvious without making my dad upset."

Naruto backed up imperceptibly, putting a bit of distance between them. "Your dad would be mad?"

Ayame laughed softly and stepped back up to him. "Oh, is ramen more precious to you than the prospect of some amorous adventure?"

"I never have to promise ramen anything I can't live up to."

She scrunched up her nose. "Don't worry about my dad. He likes you, and he's said he'd be happy if we ended up together." She reached up under his shirt and gently rubbed her hands against his chest. "I'm an adult, Naruto, and so is he. Plus, you wouldn't be my first… boyfriend I've ever had."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I figured as much."

She pinched his nipple. Hard. "What makes you think I'm anything less than the pure demure woman who serves your ramen?" The teasing tone in her voice didn't mask the small spark of genuine indignation.

"The way you walk. It changed when you were about seventeen. I didn't realize what it meant then, but I do now."

She put her fingers inside his waistband, tracing a path around his hips and back to his front. "You shinobi… so amazing at some things, hopeless in others."

"I'd be a terrible boyfriend for you, you know. It wouldn't work. I could die tomorrow, or be asked to take on a lover for a mission, or any number of things."

She nodded. "It wouldn't work. I don't want that for me, or for you." She leaned into him, running both hands up and down his chest underneath his shirt. "Besides. I've got my eyes on a nice boy from across town. His family owns a dry goods store. But before I settle down, I want to have a good time. Are you up for that, Mr. Hero?"

With a grin and a flourish, Naruto performed a kawarimi no justu on Ayame, leaving her clothes hanging from the log he substituted her body with and a very naked Ayame on the mat.

She raised an eyebrow appreciatively. "That was… impressive."

Naruto smirked. He performed a similar maneuver on himself, standing before her in all his glory.

She gulped. "That… is even more impressive." She reached up and gently pulled him to the mat.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not a Kunoichi."

"So?"

"You might want to be gentle… at first."

And he was.

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

He ran straight down the face of the Hokage monument with Ayame to drop her off back at Ichiraku's. She screamed the whole way down, but this time it was with genuine pleasure. He carried her until he reached the ramen stand. He gently lowered her to her feet. A little weak kneed at first, she was able to stand firm after a few moments.

She kissed him lightly on the left cheek while rubbing the right one with her right hand. "Thank you, Naruto. That was… Amazing."

He bowed and smiled at her. "Thank you. And your old man. I meant what I said earlier. You two are like family to me, and I'd die before I'd allow either of you to get hurt."

She smiled at him and squeezed his left hand. "We'll be here for you."

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak at that moment. She turned and unlocked the front door to the ramen stand.

"Good night, Naruto."

Yes. Yes it was.

He said his goodbyes as well, turning to head towards the bar district.

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

He hadn't planned on bumping into Tsunade, but she was at the bar where he had hoped to meet his next target, pounding back bottle after bottle of Sake. She wasn't really drunk yet, but she was certainly racing to see how much damage she could do to her liver. With her regenerative capacity, it took a good bit of booze to get her really wasted.

He sat down across from her. "Yo."

She yelled at the bartender for a second glass. It flew through the air towards her, which she caught with ease and slammed down on the table in front of Naruto. This place was used to serving Shinobi – they knew they appreciated quick service more than they appreciated genteel refinery. She poured him a drink and studied him curiously.

"So that's what you did. Who was it?" Before he could answer, she held up her hands. "On second thought, its better that I don't know."

"How could you tell?" He knocked back the first glass of sake and held his glass up for the second round. She poured it quickly before picking up her own glass and downing it. She refilled hers as well. Lifting her newly filled glass, they had a silent toast and downed the liquid in one pull. Naruto reached for the bottle this time and slowly refilled their glasses.

"Your aura." She laughed softly. "I didn't think you'd take my advice literally, Naruto."

"Ah." Naruto lifted his cup and slowly sipped his sake. Seeing that Naruto was in the mood to talk, Tsunade copied him.

"Was it good?"

Naruto nodded. His body language betrayed him, though.

"But it wasn't _special_, right?"

Again, Naruto nodded but with a slight grimace. She reached over and patted the forearm he had resting on the table. "Don't worry, Naruto. It will happen."

He nodded. "I'm not worried about that, really." He finished his drink. Tsunade yelled at the bartender to bring more sake. Two tokuri appeared quickly and without ceremony.

"What are you worried about, then?" Tsunade polished the last of the old bottle off and quickly started pouring from the new one.

"Shikamaru."

Tsunade nodded. "Me too. He's a genius, but I don't think he's ready."

"Me either." Naruto reached to his neck and pulled off the necklace that Tsunade had given him a long time ago. He held it briefly in front of her eyes before putting it back on. "This says I'll be Hokage someday. I can wait. It doesn't matter to me anymore if I'm the sixth or the eighth."

Understanding flashed across Tsunade's face. "You want me to stay, then?"

He swallowed and nodded.

"What about Jiraiya?"

Naruto turned his head and stared at the wall.

"You know he'll be heart broken."

"Maybe a little, but…" Naruto shrugged. "I need to do this. I've been given permission to travel. If I do it in your company, I'll always be the afterthought. When I come back to Konoha, I want my reputation to precede me so much that people won't realize it's the same Naruto who left."

Tsunade's face softened a bit. "How long?"

Naruto shrugged. "Depends. I'll know by the end of tonight. I've been planting the seeds of a strong base of support for when I come back. I'll need to time it right so I come back right when their influence is strongest."

"Very crafty."

"You don't fight the Orochimaru and the Akatsuki and not learn the advantage of crafty long-term planning." He pulled out his old frog wallet, Gama-chan. "For some more crafty planning…" He pulled out a voucher and wrote a figure on it. "I want you to hire someone for an S-rank mission of indeterminate length. Will this be enough?"

Tsunade looked at the figure and the name on the voucher. "When would it start?"

"Tomorrow morning. Sunrise, East Gate."

Tsunade reached over and ruffled his hair. "I'm glad you won't be going alone."

"Yeah, well… Even I will need someone to watch my back. I trust you to pick the best person to do it."

Tsunade nodded. "I think I have just the person in mind."

Naruto nodded absently. "That's fine. I don't want to know who it is, okay?"

The Hokage nodded.

The door to the bar opened. Naruto turned and watch Temari walk in. Tsunade watched his gaze. He turned back to Tsunade and smirked. "Well, Ba-chan, a hero's work is never done." He downed one last of sake and made to stand.

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"Oh, this one isn't for me, granny."

She raised her eyebrow. "If Jiraiya were here, he'd be in a puddle on the ground if he knew that's what you were thinking."

"Yeah – don't tell him, okay?"

"Sure thing, kiddo."

He stood.

"Naruto?"

He turned back to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Be careful, okay?"

He smiled and came around the table to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I love you too, ba-chan." He let her go and walked across the bar, studiously ignoring Tsunade surreptitiously wiping the corners of her eyes.

Naruto went to the bathroom and stepped into a stall. Concentrating as much as he could, he made two super shadow clones. The two clones looked at him and smirked before climbing out the bathroom window to find their targets. The real Naruto left the bathroom and scanned the bar. Tsunade had left. His target was sitting in a booth, slowly nursing a shot of whiskey.

"YO – TEMARI!"

Naruto strode across the floor like a giant.

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

The two clones looked at each other before heading off into different directions. The super clones had a gigantic amount of chakra compared to a normal shadow clone. More than any other reason, this was the reason the Kage Bushin no Jutsu was a forbidden technique. With enough chakra, the clones would be indistinguishable from the real thing. In Naruto's case, he could never be confused because the Kyuubi could not be split between bodies. But for everyone else…

The clone found Shikamaru pretty quickly. He hadn't moved from his porch. He playing with Asuma's lighter and playing shogi with his father. The pair looked up at his approach but did not stop the game. They nodded briefly, to which Naruto nodded in reply. He sat on his haunches on the veranda and waited for the game to finish before he said anything.

Shikamaru won, but his father put up a valiant fight. Shikamaru reset the pieces. The elder Nara begged off. "I've had enough. Why don't you play with Naruto?"

Shikamaru sighed. "So troublesome."

Naruto shrugged. "I'll do my best." And so they played. And Shikamaru won, of course. But that didn't mean Naruto was hopeless. Had Naruto been playing against anyone else, he would have decimated him. He was a high ranked player. Shikamaru was just… the best. Period.

They played silently for about two hours. Naruto broke the silence first.

"Congratulations on the nomination." The nomination for Hokage must have really bothered Shikamaru because he made his first mistake afterwards. Naruto capitalized on it, but still Shikamaru managed to win in the end, if only just barely.

"Now that…" he sighed. "Is really, really troublesome."

Naruto acted surprised. "You don't want it?"

"No."

"Oh."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "What did you have planned?"

Naruto laughed. "Well, fuck. I can't get anything by you, can I?"

"Not really."

"Well, some of the guys and I wanted to throw you a party." Naruto stood up. "That is, if you're up for it, I mean."

"That's nice, but no thanks." Shikamaru hadn't moved.

"Temari's in town." Naruto winked. "And she said she'd come."

Shikamaru drawled, "That's nice. Tell her I said hi."

"Ino doesn't know she's here yet." Naruto thought that Shikamaru hid his reaction very well, but since he knew what to look for, he caught it.

"Hmm…"

"Well, I'm just going to head down to the shack anyway and have a few drinks with the guys." Naruto stood to leave. "Anyway, great job on the nomination. We'll be toasting you till the morning, most likely." He slid a small scrap of paper across the shoji board to Shikamaru and laughed softly. "That's the address we'll be at. It's a small private place, but really nice. Drinks are on me if you come."

Shikamaru sucked his teeth as he looked at the address.

"Anyway, congratulations again. Better you than me, though."

"You aren't upset about it?" Shikamaru was genuinely surprised.

"I was at first." Naruto admitted. "But then I thought about how much paperwork I would have to do, and I'm not ready for that yet."

Shikamaru's brows furrowed. "You are so… troublesome."

"Yeap!" Naruto waved. "Good night, then. I'll tell Temari you said hi. She'll be at that address, too."

Shikamaru just grunted.

Naruto smiled as he leapt out of the compound. Hook, line, and sinker.

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

The second clone scoped out the Yamanaka flower shop for a few minutes, verifying that the target was still inside. Ino was closing up the shop, dumping out the water from the flower pots and stacking them neatly in a corner. Naruto slid into the shadows of the small path separating the flower shop and neighboring building. Concentrating, Naruto changed his appearance to match that of Shikamaru.

Naruto completely masked his presence, suppressing his chakra. He hopped over the back wall and climbed onto the window sill of Ino's room, verifying that she wasn't there. He slid the window open silently and slipped inside, closing the window behind him and taking care not to disturb anything in the room. Once inside, he cast a very subtle genjutsu on the room. While they weren't his forte, he could do a low level one with a high enough degree of proficiency for what he needed to accomplish. He stood against the wall next to the door, so that when it opened it would hide his presence until Ino was already in the room.

He didn't have long to wait. Ino stepped into her room, untying the back of apron that she had been wearing down stairs as she closed the door with her foot, not looking back at all. Naruto stepped forward, hoping the genjutsu would be enough.

"Let me help you with that other knot, Ino."

She twirled. "Shika!" cried.

Naruto almost cried with relief. If he could pull this off… He quickly used a touch of his demonic chakra to simulate Shikamaru's unique shadow technique. He gently placed the "shadow" arm against her lips, silencing her. "Shhh… We don't want your parents to know I'm here." The genjutsu he cast earlier made Ino think the tendril was comprised of his shadow, not chakra.

"Hmm..." She relaxed and reached her arms around his neck, pulling him close for a soft kiss. The pair lingered for a bit as Naruto pulled her close, mimicking the way he'd seen Shikamaru kiss her as closely as possible. "I thought you said you wouldn't be able to come by tonight!"

"I wasn't. But something came up."

She looked down and smirked. "I bet it did."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, it did. Troublesome."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all…" One of her arms dropped from his neck and worked its way down Naruto's side, towards his trousers. He reached down and caught her hand.

"Ino… we need to talk, but we can't do it here." He pulled out a small slip of paper and placed it gently in her hands. "Can you meet me here at the time marked?"

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

Temari and Naruto stared at each other, each with a glass of beer in their right hand and their left index finger on perched lightly on top of the ring end of a kunai. The kunai was balance on its tip, lightly embedded in the table. The light pressure they exerted with their fingers was the only thing that kept it from falling to the wooden surface. Between them a sizeable amount of coins were haphazardly stacked in the middle of the table.

"Ready?"

Temari nodded.

"On three. 1… 2… 3!!!"

They both lifted their left hand fingers, and as soon as the kunai hit the table, they chugged their beers as fast as possible. Temari slammed her empty glass on the table just a fraction of a second before Naruto.

She burbed.

Naruto cursed. "Alright, so we're tied, two for two." He called to the bartender for two more pints. "This one's for kitty." The beers arrived a few seconds later. The waitress took away the empty glasses and shook her head. This was a pretty common drinking game that shinobi played.

Naruto thanked the barmaid as she left. He leaned over and whispered, "So, you excited to see Shikamaru?"

Temari rolled her eyes. "What makes you think I'm here to see him?"

"Come on. It's obvious. I can tell you're wearing sexier than normal underwear."

"NARUTO!"

Some patrons of the bar looked over at the table when Temari screamed. A few people laughed. She blushed and sat back down quickly, not even having realized she had stood in the first place.

In a quieter voice, she whispered fiercely, "That's none of your damn business!"

"Yeah it is. He's my friend. You're like a sister. Of course I'd want to see you both happy."

She was taken aback slightly. "Um… Thanks, I guess."

"So, are you excited to see him?"

Temari stuck her finger in head of her beer, stirring is slowly to help the bubbles dissipate. It was easier to drink faster when it was flat. "Yeah." She sighed.

"But…"

"You know very well what I'm pissed about. He has a girlfriend."

Naruto shrugged. "So?"

"So? Come on, Naruto. Even you aren't that dense."

"True. But why should it stop you?"

She grinned. "It won't. But I know this won't end well unless something changes. I just hate the fact that all we can have together are flings whenever I'm in Konoha. I'd like something a little…more concrete." She shrugged. "I donno. It's just a shitty situation for everyone."

"Has he told Ino yet?"

She snorted, and did her best Shikamaru impression. "Bahh, too troublesome."

Naruto laughed. "Well, what have you decided?"

She shrugged. "I've told him I'm willing to settle for an open relationship. I know that the distance makes it hard, but I need him. I'm not selfish enough to keep him to myself when anyone of us could die tomorrow."

"Do you think Ino would agree to the same?"

"I don't know."

"Does Ino even know you exist?"

Ino nodded. "I'm pretty sure she suspects. She's a bright woman. Couple that with her ability to posses a person's mind…" She frowned. "Shikamaru's might be a tactical genius, but once you involve other people, too much can go wrong that even he can't take into account."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. But to keep it going like this for three years is pretty damn impressive."

"I guess so. But I'm sick of hiding."

Their conversation died a bit after that as Temari stared into her beer.

Naruto sensed the need to change the topic for a bit. "Ready for round three?" He picked up the kunai.

"Sure."

They again balanced the kunai in its tip and placed one finger from their left hand on the ring.

"On three. 1… 2… 3!!!"

Naruto destroyed Temari this round. She still had nearly a quarter of her pint left when he slammed his glass back onto the table. He gleefully reached forward and grabbed the large pile of money in the middle of the table.

Temari put her hand on top of his. "Wait!!!"

He paused, cocking his head at her.

"Double or nothing?"

"Sure, but no more money."

"Okay, then what are we going to bet?"

Naruto leaned back in his chair, scratching his chin as he appeared to be deep in thought. "How about…" He pulled something out of his pocket. It was an orange volume of Icha Icha Paradise. A small slip of paper was sticking out of the middle of the book. He placed it on top of the pile of money.

"I know you're a pervert, Naruto, but what does this have to do with our bet?"

"Open the book to the sheet of paper." He flicked the paper sticking out of the book with his left hand.

She reached for the book and opened it at the book mark. She read the bookmark. "It's an address." She looked at him quizzically.

He nodded. "Read the title of the chapter."

She squinted at him before glancing down. "Double trouble." She frowned. "What's so important about this piece of smut?"

Naruto grinned. "Read the first couple of pages."

So she did. Her eyebrows climbed up her forehead as what she was reading registered. She blushed and paled at the same time. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "That's the address." He pointed at the bookmarker. "If you pull it off…"

She nodded and gulped. She sat there stunned for a bit, trying to wrap her mind around what she had read.

"Do you think it could work?"

Naruto shrugged. "Depends on how much you want it. What do you want me to do if I lose?"

Temari blinked. "Oh." She hadn't even thought about that yet. "How about one free S-Class mission for the Kazekage?"

Naruto nodded. "Deal."

They ordered another round of beer. They set up the kunai again.

"Ready?"

Temari nodded. "Yeah."

"On three." Naruto cleared his throat. "So, Temari?"

"What?"

"You wearing that black thong Shikamaru likes so much?"

She blushed.

"Onetwothree!" With that, Naruto lifted his finger. Temari cursed and lifted hers, but she was too far behind to catch up. Naruto slammed his empty glass against the table, smirking as he watched Temari finish the last of her beer.

"You're an ass, Naruto."

He nodded. "Yeah, but I'm doing this for your own good." He pushed the money on the table towards her. "You can keep this. I don't need it."

"Neither do I."

"You've got a few minutes before you need to get to that address. Maybe you'll want a couple of shots of whiskey before you go."

He stood up and saluted. "Good luck, Temari." He pointed towards the orange paperback book on the table. "Keep that. It might give you some ideas."

She blushed and nodded. "Thanks."

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

Ino checked the address one last time before going into the building. She followed the directions on the paper to the last door on the second floor. She hesitated outside, her stomach fluttering with uncertainty. Shikamaru had seemed so serious when he gave this to her… maybe… No. There was no point in speculating when she didn't have enough information.

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

When she opened the door she was surprised. The door led to a small, but comfortably appointed apartment with very little furniture. She stepped in and closed the door, taking in her surroundings. She saw a pair of wooden sandals in the foyer. She realized she wasn't alone, and soon the other occupant of the apartment was located when she heard the faint rush of water from a flushing toilet echoing from the back of the apartment.

"Hello?" She called. She stepped out of her own sandals and into the apartment.

A tall blond woman in a dark kimono stepped out of the bathroom.

"Hi." An awkward silence stretched between them as they stood staring at each other.

"I'm Temari." She bowed.

"I know." Ino just stood looking at her.

"Would you like something to drink? Tea, beer, wine, sake…?"

Ino shook her head. "No thank you."

Temari shook her head and mumbled something. Ino swore she heard Naruto's name. "So… Your place?" Ino gestured around.

Temari seemed startled. "Uh… Yeah." She shrugged. "I… uh… Use it when I'm going to be in Konoha for more than a couple of days." Temari pointed at the sofa against the wall to Ino's left. "Would you care to take a seat?"

Ino nodded and cautiously made her way to the couch. She watched as Temari went to the fridge and pulled out a chilled bottle of wine. Rather than use a corkscrew, Temari just pulled out a small fan and sliced the glass right below the cork, separating the top of the bottle from the wine. She saw Ino watching and shrugged. "Works better that way. I always get cork in the wine if I use the corkscrew."

Temari put the open bottle in a bucket of ice and started opening cabinets near the sink. After her third try she finally found some wine glasses and grabbed two. She brought the bucket and glasses over to the couch. "Uhm… Ino? Could you pull that end table over here?" She looked at the table near Ino's end of the couch. Ino nodded and pulled it around so that it was near the middle of the couch. Temari placed the bucket and the glasses on the table before taking a seat herself on the opposite side of the couch from Ino.

"How do you know my name?" Ino asked.

"Shikamaru talks about you a lot." Temari reached forward and pulled the bottle off the ice. She filled one glass with white wine. "Any for you?"

Ino was about to say no but changed her mind. "Just a little, please." Temari poured half a glass and handed it to her.

"Cheers." Temari toasted. Ino hoisted her glass up a fraction, not drinking the wine. "It's not poisoned. I'm not here to 'off the competition.'"

"I figured as much." Ino took a small sip. Good wine. "How long?"

Temari frowned. "Since after the Chunin exams."

"Ah."

The silence stretched. Temari downed her glass of wine in a couple of big sips and reached forward to refill. She hefted the bottle and towards Ino with an arched brow. Ino downed her glass as well before extending it towards the bottle. Temari filled Ino's glass first before filling hers. Both pours were generous.

Temari cleared her throat. "Well, this is awkward."

Ino nodded. "Yes, it certainly is."

"Ino, I'm not going to give up on him, and I you aren't going to either."

Ino frowned but didn't say anything.

"I wanted to talk to you, but… I don't think I'll be able to say the right words." She took a sip of wine. "This will be much easier if you just posses me."

Ino opened her eyes wide in shock. "You'd let the woman vying for the affections of your boyfriend have such an advantage over you?"

"If it makes this easier, then yes."

Ino couldn't help but notice that even though her voice was steady, Temari was scared. "Alright. This is easier if you relax."

Temari gave a nervous grin. "I'll try."

Ino stretched her senses and started the process of possessing Temari. But rather than a full possession, she stopped about half-way, allowing her to scan her thoughts. Ino saw. She saw from Temari's point of view, starting back with the Chunin exams. She saw the visits, heard the words exchanged, saw Shikamaru sweating above her. She could feel Temari's emotions, the physical and emotional pleasure, Temari's life, Shikamaru's actions. Ino wasn't sure how long she watched, but eventually she pulled away, unable to contain herself any longer.

She sobbed.

Temari reacted instantly, reaching forward and pulling Ino into a hug. Temari murmured into her hair softly, repeating "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over until Ino cried herself out. Eventually, Ino calmed down and softly pulled herself out of Temari's embrace.

"Why did you show me that?"

"He loves you, you know."

Ino nodded. "And you."

"Yes." Temari took a deep breath. "Where I'm from, we've fought too many wars recently."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"There aren't enough men in Sunagakure." Temari spread her hands wide. "Women outnumber men almost five to one."

"Oh." Understanding hit Ino like a brick. "Oh!"

Temari nodded. "Do you understand why I can't give him up?"

She nodded. "What do you want to do, then?"

Temari took a deep breath. "Well, I was thinking that…"

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

Shikamaru frowned as he looked at the address. Something was off, but for the life of him he wasn't able to figure it out. Ever since the meeting with Naruto, he had been feeling edgy. There was one piece of information that he was missing that would make this all fall into place.

He stopped as he heard a person drop to the ground behind him. "Naruto?"

"Yeah."

It all clicked. "FUCK!" He whirled and lashed out with his shadow, catching Naruto in a full body bind. "Why the fuck did you do this?"

He felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned to look, a second Naruto clobbered him on the jaw. He dropped like a sack of stones. He briefly considered fighting, but realized he was supremely disadvantaged. He sighed and rolled over onto his back.

"Shika."

"Fuck off, Naruto. I can't believe you."

"Would you shut up and listen to me?"

Shikamaru sat up cross-legged, rubbing his jaw. "Why?"

Naruto sat down across from Shikamaru on the pavement. "I'm leaving. You're going to be Hokage. You'll be a damn good one, but you also need to be able to do the job. This will blow up in your face eventually, and I can't allow it to hurt my village. As much as I love my friends, I love this village even more, regardless of how much half the people here hate me."

"So this justifies you screwing me over?"

Naruto sighed. "I haven't screwed you over." He stood up and offered a hand. "Come on."

Shikamaru reluctantly took Naruto's hand and was pulled to his feet. Naruto threw an arm around his shoulder and marched him into the building. Shikamaru thought about shrugging his way free, but decided it would be too troublesome.

The two navigated the through the building until they were standing outside of the same door Ino had walked into about an hour earlier. Naruto paused. "Listen, Shika. I'm still your friend. You're one of my precious people, and so are Ino and Temari. I want what's best for all of you."

Shikamaru just stared angrily at the ground. "This is sooooo troublesome."

Naruto nodded. "Listen. Do me a favor, okay?"

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"When you get in there, don't fuck this up, alright? It took me a lot of work to arrange this." With that, Naruto opened the door and pushed Shikamaru inside closing the door quickly so that only Naruto was still in the hall. With a quick earth technique, Naruto barred the door from the outside so that it would take Nara a few moments to get out if he tried.

Whistling, Naruto turned his back and walked out the building. He was looking forward to the complete set of memories that would come to him when the shadow clone he had changed to resemble the painting on the wall vanished in a couple of hours. He checked his watch. It was nearly four a.m. He still had one more place he needed to go.

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

Shikamaru picked himself up off the floor and froze. He didn't know what he had expected when he went inside, but he certainly hadn't expected this. Three empty wine bottles were strewn on the floor, the tops of them neatly severed. That had to be Temari's work. An end table was pushed off to one side and a fourth open bottle of wine glistened with condensation. The most shocking thing, however, was the couch.

Ino was straddling Temari, kissing her passionately as she gripped her ponytails in her hands. Temari was sliding her hands up and down Ino's bare back, gently raking her fingertips down her spine. Temari's kimono had been pulled open and slid off her arms, leaving her clad only in her nearly transparent black lace bra. The obi that was wrapped around her waist was still tied and kept the garment from coming off completely but did nothing for modesty as the lower portion had been forced open, exposing her thong. Shikamaru gulped. Temari's underwear matched her bra. Ino's halter top was thrown over the back of the couch and her skirt had been hiked up to her midriff, exposing her high cut panties.

The girls froze. The turned their heads to stare at him. He looked at them right back. He slowly pushed himself off the floor and stood. Without saying anything, he unzipped his Jonin jacket and let it drop to the floor. They watched him as he undressed completely before coming over to the couch. Using his shadow, he gently lifted both of them apart and held them suspended in the air as he sat in the middle of the couch. Once comfortable, he resettled the pair exactly as they had been, right on his lap.

He kissed both ladies softly on the cheek. "Don't let me interrupt me."

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

Shikamaru extricated himself from the sleeping tangle of bodies and stumbled into darkness looking for the kitchen. He was able to find his way to the kitchen from the pale light streaming in through the living room window from the false dawn. Once there, he rummaged around looking for a glass, trying to be a silent as possible. When he finally found one, he filled the glass with tap water and drank three glasses in quick succession.

He wasn't surprised when Naruto appeared in the entrance to the kitchen. "Do you still hate me?" he whispered softly.

Shikamaru shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. He was completely unconcerned that he was naked. He had one more glass of water before he responded. "How?" he managed to croak out.

"It wasn't easy. Alcohol to lower inhibitions and a very, very subtle compulsion charm for Ino to help her over the hump."

"You're a major pervert, Naruto."

"What about your two lovely ladies? That thing with the fan? And Ino's possession technique?" The blond looked wistful. "How did that feel?"

Shika smiled. "Pretty amaz…" He clammed up. "Pervert."

The blond nervously scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, maybe I am. I guess you can't train with perverts for too long without a bit rubbing off on you."

Shikamaru shook his head. "Thanks, I guess."

Naruto nodded. "The rest is up to you, Shika. Are you smart enough and man enough to handle it?"

Shikarmaru gripped the counter. "I don't know. I never thought this could happen."

"Well it did. The rest is up to you." Naruto saluted. "Good luck, friend." With that Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke.

Shikamaru snorted. Of course. He was too tired to even be surprised right now. He heard a rustle from the bedroom as the two women slowly woke up. He filled two glasses with water and took them to the bedroom. He put one on each night stand. The girls were going to have one hell of a hang over when they woke up. With a grin, he gently crawled back into the tangle of arms and legs.

Maybe this didn't make things easier, but things were no longer in a holding pattern. If he lived through this, then being Hokage would be a piece of cake.

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

Using every once of skill he possessed, Naruto slid through the hall like a ghost, carefully avoiding the roving patrols through the use of non-chakra based deceptions. The Hyuga compound was by far the hardest place to sneak into because of that damnable byakugan. False dawn was coming and he needed to hurry lest he be caught in the sunrise.

He had a couple of close calls with a patrol before finally arriving at his destination. Coating one finger in his saliva, he silently poked a small hole in the paper door separating the room from the hall. He was re-assured to see that the occupant was still sleeping. He slid the door back just enough to allow him entrance and quietly turned to close the door. When he turned back around, the futon was empty and Hinata Hyuga was standing in the corner of the room, clad only in an old t-shirt and looking pissed.

Naruto slowly stood and raised his hands, signaling that he had no intention of attacking. With exaggerated movements he slowly took of the mask he was wearing so that Hinata could see his face.

She gasped. Naruto put his right index finger to his lips, indicating his desire for silence. Hinata nodded and stepped forward, relaxed but still on guard. Using sign language, he asked if she could meet him outside the compound.

She nodded and responded. Where?

My place?

She shook her head. Too risky, her sign language said.

Where can we meet that's safe?

She paused as she thought about it. Why not the training ground where you became a genin? It isn't too far from here.

He nodded. He used the hole he poked in her door to quickly scan the hall.

I'll see you there in fifteen minutes. Is that enough time?

She nodded.

Don't get seen leaving, okay?

She nodded again.

With that, he slipped out and made his way out of the compound.

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

The sun would be up in about an hour. Naruto wasn't sure why Hinata was the last person he wanted to see before he left Konoha. Since he returned from his three year trip with Jiraiya, they had been able to work together on a few missions before the Akatsuki and Orochimaru business pulled him away from Konoha for extended periods of time. But even still, every time he came back, she was there. Quiet, reserved, and a bit more kick ass every time he saw her.

But between his enemies and her family, they had never really gotten a chance beyond shared missions. Naruto didn't know why, but it bugged him. And now, he was going to be leaving again.

Naruto watched from the tree tops as Hinata stepped cautiously into the clearing. She had dressed quickly, but had still found the time to strap on some shuriken and kunai holsters. He could tell by the way she was looking around that she had activated her blood limit. Good. She was being very cautious.

So cautious, in fact, that she nearly took his head off with a well placed stream of chakra that rifled towards his hidden location. He dropped out of the tree and held his hands up in a placating gesture.

"Woah! Hinata! Down Girl!"

She stood ready but relaxed, eyeing Naruto carefully. 

"How do I know that you're Naruto and not someone trying to lure me into a trap?"

Naruto's thoughts turned inward. _That's your cue, furball._

The Kyuubi growled. **Insolent whelp.**

Naruto allowed some of his demonic chakra to bleed from his tenketsu. With her byakugan active, Hinata could easily see as the chakra came from his stomach and went through his seal.

She nodded. "What's up?" She looked at him.

Naruto suddenly found himself tongue-tied. The way she looked at him… She really looked at him. He felt a twinge in his stomach that frightened him and exhilarated him at the same time. He found himself cursing.

"Hinata?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to be leaving Konoha for a bit."

She frowned. "How long?"

He shrugged. "Years, most likely." He could tell by the way her shoulders dropped slightly that she was trying to hide her disappointment. When had he gotten so good at reading her?

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Did you hear about the council vote?"

She nodded.

"Then you understand, right?"

She frowned but nodded.

"What did your father say when afterwards?"

She shrugged. "He rarely talks council meetings with me. He did say that he was not proud of the way the members acted, though."

"That's some consolation, I guess." Naruto moved towards the center of the training ground where three rotting logs stood. He looked at them, remembering how nearly a decade ago Sakura, Sasuke, and he had stood here with Kakashi for their genin exams. He sat and rested his back against the center log where he had been tied so long ago.

Hinata joined him, sitting at this close to him but not touching. She pulled her knees into her chest, soles of her feet against the ground.

"Will you miss it?" She asked.

"What?"

"Konoha."

He nodded. "I always do." He sighed. "It's the people, though. That's what I really miss."

She nodded. "Me too. I miss…" she hesitated. "People when I leave."

He noticed the hitch in her voice. "I'm going to miss…" he trailed off.

"Ramen?" She supplied helpfully.

Naruto swallowed. In just twelve hours he had managed to lose his virginity, satisfy several important people, and help some friends with his problems. Why was it so hard to tell Hinata that he would miss her?

He shook his head. "I'm gonna miss you, Hinata."

She whipped her head around and looked at him. "Why? You hardly know me." She stared at him intently.

"What did I call you all those years ago?"

She smiled, "I think it was a plain-looking, quiet, dark weirdo."

Naruto smiled as well. "Yeah. I did." He took a deep breath. Now or never. "I also remember saying I liked people like that." With that, Naruto leaned over and kissed her softly on the cheek. She went rigid. Naruto drew back, uncertain about what to do now. Neither spoke.

Hinata burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Naruto demanded indignantly.

She just shook her head and continued laughing, unable to contain her mirth.

"What?" Naruto stood and glared down at Hinata as she clutched her knees and rocked back and forth, laughing till her eyes watered. She tried to calm down after a few minutes, but every time she glanced up at Naruto fidgeting nervously she would erupt again into peals of laughter.

Naruto watched her laugh and forgot why he was irritated. Her voice was clear and high. It seemed to penetrate all his defenses. He found himself enjoying the sound of her laughter. The loneliness of leaving Konoha again was still there, but assuaged a bit by the sound. Eventually she calmed down.

"What was so funny?" he asked softly.

She wiped her eyes with the backs of her sleeves and stood to face him. "For a moment there, I felt like I was eleven again. I forgot that I'm an adult, and I can do stuff like this." She reached forward and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a gentle kiss.

This was nothing like the animalistic kisses he had shared with Anko, or the pleasant satisfying little kisses exchanged with Ayame. It was soft, it was hungry, it was passionate; more than anything else, it made him lose himself. He got lost in the sensations, drinking in the feeling of Hinata's lips and tongue.

He wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted, but he groaned when Hinata pulled away. Her lip was quivering. "It's almost sunrise."

He nodded.

"We've both got to go."

He stepped back and stared at the ground. She turned and began walking away from him, back towards her compound.

"Hinata…" He called after her. She turned and smiled at him.

"How long?"

She smiled shyly. "Since the first day, Naruto."

"Was I that oblivious?"

She blushed and nodded.

An agonized look crossed his face. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "I'm not."

"Why?"

"It was worth the wait." She smiled at him again. "I'll be here when you get back, Naruto. Don't take too long, okay?"

He nodded. He watched her leave the training ground. He had always thought that he was a strong person, but Hinata…

He took a deep breath and released it. It wasn't so bad. He was young yet. If he came back in a few years… He could accomplish a lot in two or three years. Make a name for himself. Be prepared to be the Hokage.

He'd do it. But when he came back, he and Hinata would have lots of catching up to do.

(Scene break - isn't cooperating)

He took one final look around his apartment and grabbed his backpack. He closed the door and locked it, dropping the key in the landlady's mailbox on the way out. He was done with that place. When he came back, he'd be ready for a new chapter in his life. The old Naruto was finished, a new Naruto was waiting to be born.

He didn't run through the village. He walked, drinking up the sights and sounds of Konoha. His village. He'd be Hokage, but not before he was ready. He had been angry yesterday, but now he felt… relieved. He was relieved and happy that his only responsibility was to himself. He could afford to be a bit selfish now before he had to sacrifice for his village.

He arrived at the East Gate all too soon. Tsunade was there, as was Jiraiya. Surprisingly, so was Shikamaru, Temari, and Ino. They girls looked like hell, but happy. Shikamaru winked. More people came out of the village. Anko. Ayame. Shino. Sakura. His friends. The crowd that showed up surprised him. Hundreds of people showed up to wish him well. His precious people were all there to wave goodbye as he set off on his journey. He felt his throat constrict as the crowd waved.

Tsunade smiled knowingly. She kissed him once on the cheek and hugged him. "Take care, okay? The person I selected is waiting down the road at the first junction, five miles from here."

Naruto nodded, not trusting his voice.

Jiraiya put one meaty hand on his shoulders. "Take good notes for me, okay?" Naruto smirked. "You should start with Shikamaru." Jiraiya's eyes widened.

"No!"

"Oh yes." Naruto tapped his head. "It's all right here…" He laughed as his former teacher practically drooled.

Jiraiya's face took on a serious countenance. "Be careful, okay? Keep us posted."

Naruto nodded. With a wave, he turned his back on the assembled crowd and walked down the road into the rising sun. He allowed the tears to fall as the crowd roared its good-byes.

The din died as the village vanished in the distance. When he approached the junction, he stared at the person waiting by the sign post.

"Hinata?"

"Naruto?"

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

She frowned and looked at the piece of paper in her hands. She showed it to him. He read aloud, murmuring "By order of the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, you are hereby ordered on the following S-Classed escort mission of indeterminate length. Rendezvous point 67 East, 23 north, junction number 12 along route 3."

Naruto looked back in the direction of Konoha. "Crafty old bat…" he murmured.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing." Naruto drank in the sight of her. "So, you're supposed to keep me out of trouble?"

Hinata nodded. "Do you think this is a good idea?" She shifted her weight nervously.

Naruto smiled and stepped in close. "It won't be easy."

She nodded. "Worthwhile things seldom are." She wrapped her arms around his waist, staring up into his eyes.

He drew her body against his, enjoying the warmth. "We'll have to practice our teamwork." He drew his head closer to hers, touching his forehead against hers.

She nodded, not breaking contact. "I think I'd like that, Naruto," she whispered into his ear. She turned her head up slightly so that their lips met. They kissed. They broke apart some time later. The sun was already high over-head.

Naruto stepped back but held onto her hand. With his free hand he gently adjusted himself in his trousers, finding a more comfortable position that did nothing to hide his current state. Hinata giggled.

"This is your fault, you know."

"I'm not sorry."

"Neither am I." They kissed once more, hungrily. "Which way?" he asked.

She held on to the front of his jacket. "Any way and as often as you'd like. As long as I'm with you, I don't care."

With that, Naruto scooped her up in his arms and took to the forest. Sure, they had a long journey ahead of them, but there was something he had to do _now_. And by the look in Hinata's eyes, she agreed.

Tsunade was right. He shouldn't have worried. When it happened, it was _special._

The End

Author's Note:

I hope you enjoyed this story. It started out as a "Naruto bangs Konoha" type of spam fic, but I went back and re-wrote it. It became what it is now. I feel like perhaps I should add a few more characters for Naruto to "persuade," but I think it turned out okay as is.

I may write the lemon portions for this story and add them later as additional chapters.

This story is complete as it stands. I had this idea and needed to get it out of my head so that I could get back to my other stuff. Right now, I'm writing furiously but nothing I'm writing is on the story I really want to finish, "What's in a Name." However, I do feel like I've figured out how to get out of the corner I've painted myself into with that story.

NEXT:

Temari – Ino Shikamaru threesome?

Sakura

Ayame:

Last: Hinata


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